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Abstract

We propose a new method of all-optical buffering with ultra-small core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) based on stimulated Brillouin scattering. The large refractive index contrast between the near-hollow cladding and the pure-silica core contributes to high nonlinearity of the PCF. Considering the unusual gain spectrum of the ultra-small core PCF, we numerically investigate the influence of these factors to the buffering efficiency. A PCF with a length of 1 meter and a core diameter of 1.06 micrometer is simulated as the storage medium in this paper. It is shown that we can obtain a good buffering efficiency under a very low control power of 2 watt, which promises a significant improvement for the all-optical communication system.

Figures (7)

a) Across section of the photonic crystal fiber. The black area is silica and the white circles are air holes. The interhole space is 1 µm and the hole diameter is 0.94 µm. (b) Effective refractive index for different wavelengths of the incident pulses. The inset is fundamental mode for 1.55-µm-wavelength light.

The Brillouin gain spectrums for PCFs with core diameters 1.06 µm and 9 µm. For the large-core PCF, the Brillouin frequency shift is 11.2 GHz with a peak gain ~3.11×10-11m/W. In contrast, the peak gains for small-core PCF are about 2.97×10-11, 1.84×10-11 and 2.72×10-11m/W, with frequency shifts 9.76, 9.95 and 10.22 GHz, respectively.

Simulation of data storage and retrieval. (a) A 2-ns-long data pulse with rectangular shape. (b) A 2-ns-long data pulse with smooth shape. The retrieved data pulses are scaled by a factor of 2 to the right of the dashed line for clarity.

Simulation of data storage and retrieval. (a) Two rectangular-shaped data pulses with a 2-ns length and a 2-ns interval. (b) Two smooth-shaped data pulses with a 2-ns length and a 2-ns interval. The retrieved data pulses are scaled by a factor of 5 to the right of the dashed line for clarity.

Simulation of data storage and retrieval. (a) Three rectangular-shaped data pulses with a 2-ns length and a 2-ns interval. (b) Three smooth-shaped data pulses with a 2-ns length and a 2-ns interval. The retrieved data pulses are scaled by a factor of 10 to the right of the dashed line for clarity.